Mop holder



May 21, 1940. T, JOHNSON MOP HOLDER Filed Dec. 16, 1937 Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES rarer 'orion Application December 16, 1937, Serial No. 180,252

11 Claims.

My invention relates to roofers mops, and more particularly to the means for holding the same to the stick or handle, and my main object is to provide a holder which exerts a firm grip on the mop whereby to tightly hold the same during its entire period of use.

A further aim of the invention is to design the novel mop holder along lines to utilize an expansive tendency of the mop for maintaining the grip of the holder on the same.

A still further object of the invention is to employ a clamping device for the mop which utilizes the conventional staple which is used to attach the mop to the holder, the clamping device retaining the staple until such time as it must be removed for the replacement of the mop.

Another object of the invention is to construct the same along rugged and simple lines whereby to make it dependable in use and economical to manufacture.

With the above objects in view, and any others which may suggest themselves from the description to follow, a better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a typical roofers mop, partly broken away, containing the improved holder;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the mop in the region of the holder, and showing the same prior to the clamping operation;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, show.

ing the holder in the clamped condition;

Fig. 5 is a plan viewof Fig. 4;

A roofers mop is under considerable strain during use, owing to the fact that the mop has a tendency to drag in the tar, and it is therefore essential that the connection between the mop and the stick or holder be sufficiently Strong to rigidly retain the holder. Where the mop is replaceable as a unitin relation to the holder, it is essential that a form of retainer or clamp be employed which will not loosen or rattle after the mop is put into use. Various devices have been developed or used for this purpose, but those which have come to my attention could not withstand the strain and gave trouble.

I have therefore designed the novel holder with the intention of departing from the weak points of past devices and rendering the mop holder and the handle one rigid unit.

For the purpose of the novel holder the mop is rst encased in a cup-like receptacle I3 and anchored therein by a staple i4 of heavy wire, the legs |4a of the staple passing throughopenings 2U in the receptacle and being constricted by machine asindicated at Illb to tightly fasten the mop in the receptacle.

The mop assembly in the form just described constitutes a unit which is ready for application to the mop holder. The latter is in the form of a circular plate |5 extended with Ya` cylindrical shank |5a which is tightlyl driven or otherwise permanently secured in the handle socket' I2.

The plate I5 is extended with special lug formations at diametrically-opposite points to receive upwardly extending legs Mc of the staple I4. Thus, one lug |56 is recessed with an inwardly directed slot |5c for the passage of the staple portion |40, the lug |5d on the other side of the slot being shorter than the lug |513 and being rounded. At the opposite side of the plate the lug |5e is slotted from the side as indicated at |5j to permit the passage of the corresponding staple portion |4c and to form a hook engageable with the same when the plate is turned in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 3. Both lugs |5b and 15e are grooved on the top surfaces as indicatedat |5g in a counter-clockwise direction away from the slots and |51, the grooves being curvedly inclined as indicated at |5h. The bottom of the plate I5 is slightly hollow as indicated at |52'. f

Before the mop unit composed of the mop and the receptacle i3 are ready to be assembled with the holder, the upper ends ofthe staple portion Mc are formed with horizontal bends' Md in opposite directions at right angles to the vplane of the staple. The mop unit is then assembledl with the holder in the manner of Figs. 2 and 3,- the right-hand staple portion Mc seating in the slot |50, while the edge of the plate 15 abuts th'e left-hand staple portion '|4c. In this zone the said edge is formed as an inclined cam |57'. Now, while the mop is held still, the socket I2 is givena twist to swing the holder in a clockwise direction with the right-hand portion Mc of the staple as a pivot, this action advancing the hook |5e of the holder in the direction of the left-hand staple portion Hic. At the same time the cam |57' crowds the said left-hand staple portion outwardly, so that in becoming separated the staple portions release their hold on the receptacle I3. The hook |5e now engages the related staple portion, maintaining thek staple portions under tension in their separated positions. Ay hammer is now employed to drive the staple bends Illd down over the plate extensions to seat in the grooves [5h and form retaining hooks for the mop, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 4.

It must now be explained that the original attachment of the mop to the receptacle i3 by means of the staple i4 placed the swab of the mop under a considerable compression. Hence, with the legs of the staple freed from the receptacle-especially in the zone of the constricted portions Mb-the tendency of the mop swab is to re-expand. This action exerts a powerful force against the staple I4, serving to pull the staple hooks Md tightly on the plate extensions and resist at all times any tendencies for the holder to loosen or move to any extent in relation to the mop. Obviously, the mop swab being in the nature of an expansive cushion, it will take up all shocks or vibrations incident to the handling of or strains suiered by the mop and maintain the entire assembly rigid as a unit.

It will be evident from the above description that I have provided a holder to which stapled mop units are readily adaptable. No special fastening means are required, and the mop unit is quickly attached, remaining tightly secured until the mop is to be discarded for a new one, wherL a reversal of the securingr process quickly separates the mop unit from the holder. The latter being essentially a single plateof malleable iron or semi-steel for durability-may be produced at low cost.

While I have described the invention along speciclines, various minor changes and refinements may be made therein from time to time Without departing from its principle, and I consider all such changes and refinements as coming within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a mop unit, comprising a base, a swab applied to the under side thereof, and a staple having at least two prongs for securing said swab to said base, the bight of said staple compressively engaging said swab, the prongs of said staple being extended upwardly through said base, portions of the extended prongs being crimped upon the upper side of said base to secure said swab, staple and base together against the expansive force of said swab, the free ends of said prongs extending upwardly from said crimped portions, of a handle carrying member, said member being applied to the side of said base opposite to said swab, means on said member and engageable with said extended prongs for moving the same in uncrimping directions to relax the hold of said prongs on said base, and cooperating means on said member and portions of said extended prongs, said means being cooperatively engageable to lock said prongs to said handle mounting member by the expansive force of said swab exerted upon the uncrimping of said crimped portions.

2. The combination with a mop unit, comprising a mop swab and a base therefor, a staple comprcssively securing said swab to the under side of said base, the prongs of said staple extending upwardly through said base and formed to provide releasable means securing said extended prongs to said base by the expansive force of said swab; of a handle carrying member mountable on said base, means on said member for releasing said securing means, and cooperating means on said member and said extended prongs, said cooperating means being mutually engagea-ble upon the release of said securin,y means to lock said unit to said handle mounting member against the expansive force of said swab.

3. The combination with a mop unit, comprising a mop swab, a base therefor and means compressively securing said swab to the under side of said base, portions of said means extending upwardly through said base and formed to provide means releasably securing said extended portions to said base against the expansive force of said swab; of a handle carrying member mountable on said base, means on said member for releasing said securing means, and cooperating means on said member and said extended portions of said iirst named means, said cooperating means being mutually engageable upon the release of said securing means to lock said unit to said handle mounting member by the expansive force of said swab.

4. The combination with a mop unit, comprising a mop swab, a base therefor and means colnpressively and releasably securing said swab to the under side oi said base by the expansive force of said swab; of a handle carrying member mountable on said base, said member including means for releasing said securing means. and means engageable with said securing means upon the release thereof to lock said unit and handle mounting member together by the expansive force of said swab.

5. The combination ol claim 3, means carried by the handle carrying member at one side to pivotally connect the same to one of said extended portions of said securing means, and a hook-shaped portion carried by said member at the opposite side and engageable with another oi said extended portions of said securing means upon the pivoting of said member in one direction.

6. The combination of claim 3, means carried by the handle carrying member at one side to pivotally connect the same to one of said extended portions of said securing means, a hookshaped portion carried by said member at the opposite side and engageable with another of said extended portions of said securing means upon the pivoting of said member in one direction, and said releasing means comprising a cam engageable with said second extended portion of said securing means and operative to release all of said securing means upon the pivoting ol said handle mounting member in said direction.

7. The combination ol claim 4. and means on said member for re-securing said securing means and disengaging said engaging means to permit the removal of said member from said unit.

8. The combination with a mop unit. comprising a mop swab, a base therefor and means cempressively and releasably securing said swab to the underside of said base; of a handle carrying member mountable en said base for pivotal movementI relative thereto, said member ineluding means for releasing said securing means upon the pivoting of said member in one direction. and means thereupon engageable with said securing means to lock said member and unit together by the expansive force of said swab.

9. The combination of c-laim 8, and means on said member for re-securing said securing means and disengaging said engageable means upon the pivoting of said member in the opposite direction to permit the removal of said member from said unit.

l0. The combination with a mop unit, comprising a mop swab, a receptacle for said swab, and a U-shaped staple for securing said swab to said receptacle, the bight of said staple oompressively securing portions of said swab in said receptacle, the prongs of said staple extending through said receptacle and portions thereof and being crimped over the outside of said receptacle to lock said unit together by the expansive force of said swab, the free ends of said staple being extended outwardly of said crimped pontons thereof; of a handle carrying plate, said plate being applied to the outside of said receptacle, said plate being formed to provide a recess at one side thereof to pivotally connect the saine to one of said extended prongs, a prong-facing hookshaped portion formed on the opposite side of said plate and engageable with said other extended prong upon the pivoting of said plate in one direction, a cam on said opposite side of said plate and engageable with said second extended prong prior to the engagement thereof by said hook-shaped portion, said cam being operative to unorimp said crimped portions of said prongs, laterally extending lugs on said plate, the free ends of said prongs being bent at right angles to the remainder thereof to overlie said lugs and form stops therefor by the expansive action of said swab, looking the unit to the plate.

11. The structure of claim 1), and said lugs being formed to provide grooves to receive said bent portions of said prongs.

THEODORE JOHNSON. 

